Engine



3 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN-TOR.

Feb. 28, 1933. J Q F|NK ENGINE Original Filed Oct. 31, 19,30

Feb. 28, 1933. 1 Q F|NK 11,899,189

ENGINE original Filed oct. 31, 193e s sneetssh'eet 2 lll A TTORNEY.

Feb. 28, 1933. J, 0. FlNK 1,899,189

ENGINE Original Filed Oct'. 31, 1950 3 ShectsfShe'et 5 INVEN TOR.

/ @maf Q Eme ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 28, 1933 UNITED 'STATES' PATENT oFFlcE f 'Tum O. FINI, OI' DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0* CONTINENTAL `IO'I'OEB WR- POMTION, Ol' DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F VIBGDIA ENGINE application ma october s1. iosa-.Serin 110.492.503. aenewea my a7, im.

f for a sleeve valve engine is not broadly new,

but heretofore such wobble drives have not proved to be a commercial success because of ythe diiculties in manufacturing the wobble cranks of the valveshaft, it being known that such cranks cannot be llaccurate y machined in 1production. I Y

t is-an ob'ect of my invention to eliminate the aforesai diiliculties by providing a novel wobble drive structure for an internalcombustion engine of the sleeve valve type.

A further object of myv -invention is to facilitate the manufacture of a sleeve valve wobble drive by providing a valve shaft having one or more wobble cranks that can be very readily, economically and accurately machined and'which lends itself to quantity production.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention reference may be had to the ac'- companying drawings which illustrate one' form which my invention may assume, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view through an internal combustion engine illustrating a sleeve valve operatin mechanism constructed in accordance wit my invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentarydetailed view of a wobble crank carried by the valve shaft and. showing the means forv connecting the crank portion to the sleeve valve,

Fi ure 3 is a plan view of a wobble crank showing in dotted lines the sleeve valve and the connecting means between the crank and valve, Figure 4 is a detail elevational view taken at right angles to Figure 3,

Fi ure 5 is an end view thereof taken substant1ally on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a view taken similar to Figure 3 but showing the crank in a position 180 removed from that illustrated in Figure 3,

Figure 7 is an elevational view of the crank portion of the valveshaft taken at right angles to Figure 6,

Figure 8 is an end view thereof taken substantially on the line 8-8 of'Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a plan view of a wobble crank illustrating the arrangement of the ball por-- tions with respect to t-he valveshaft axis showing the ball centers `offset angularly and located substantially the same radial distance from said valveshaft axis,

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 9,

Fi re 11 is a plan view of a modified wobb e crank .constructionr illustrating the ball'centers offset both radially and angularly 'with respect to each other, A

Figure l2 is a sectional view taken on the line 12-12 of Fi ure 11,

l Figure 13 is a p an view of-a wobble crank constructionin which the ball portions are only offset radially with respect to each other, and

Figure 14 is an elevational view of what is shown in Figure 13, the view being taken at ri ht angles to Figure 13.

he accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention employed with a sleeve valve engine comprising a cylinder block lOhaving one or more cylinders 11 and the usual water jackets 12 surrounding the cylinders, said cylinder being provided with the usual intake and exhaust ports 13 and 14 respectively. A reentrant cylinder head portion 15 is carried by the cyl- -inder block and provided with a portion 16 depending within the cylinder in spaced relation with the side walls thereof to provide a sleeve pocket 17 for receiving asleeve valvev 18. A piston 19 operates within the sleeve valve and is preferably connected to the engine crankshaft 20 by means of a connecting rod 21. I

I have chosen to illustrate my invention as applied to a single sleeve valve engine .having a sleeve valve orted for intake and exhaust and being given a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement by means of my novel valve operating mechanism hercinafter described.

- wobble crank portions designated as a wliole by the character 26, and preferably a crank is provided for each sleeve valve, and an illustration of a single-cylinder is believed to be sufficient for the pur ose of illustrating the invention and operation of the valve operatin mechanism. The crank portion of the va veshaft is constructed by providing ball portions 27 on the crank which are s aced longltudinally of the valveshaft, sai ball portions being angularly spaced with respect to each other as shown in Figures 3 and 6. vIn other words, a plane through the center of one ball and containin the valveshaft axis is angularly spaced wit respect to a plane through the other ball center and containing the valveshaft axis. These balll portions might be said to be offset angularly with respect to each other and it will be noted that the dotted line 28 illustrated in Figures 3 and 9 which passes through the ball centers is an* 'gularly disposed with respect to the valveshaft axis 40. These ball ortions carried by the crank of the valvesha t are preferably separated by an intermediate cheek 29, and said balls are preferably formed by a machining operation in such a way that the same can bereadily positioned in a machine and accurately formed. The axes of the ball portions are arranged parallel with the axis of the valve shaft; in other words, the surface of the ball portions is generated b an arc revolving about an axis parallel to t e valveshaft axis.v It will'be noted that such ball portions may be readily machined and ground in a machine since the centers about which said bali portions rotate may be readily found and the work (which in this case is a valveshaft) may be quite readily centered in the machine in such a way as to accuratel machine the said ball portions. Thus t e centers for the work while machining the ball surfaces are located relatively close to the valveshaft center.

Means are provided for connectin the crank portion of the valveshaft with t ie associated sleeve valve, this means 'preferably comprising a forked arm 30, the outer ends of each forked ortion being formed with a ball socket 31 a apted to engage the ball portions 27. Preferably the soc et portions of the forked arm 30 are split as shown at 32 in Figure 1 and suitable caps 33 which are provided with complementary ball sockets are preferably secured to the arm by means of screws, bolts or other fastening devices. It will be noted that the split between the caps 33 and the main body over the arm structure lies in a plane which passes through the ball centers.

The u per'end of the arm 30 is referably provide with a ball socket 34 a apted for engagement with the ball portion 35 carried on a suitable fixture or other support 36- which is secured Ato the sleeve valve 18 by means of studs or bolts 37.' Preferably the ball socket 34 is lined with babbitt or other suitable wearing material.k in 4ord er to [provide a smooth swivelling action-between-the 'ball socket and the ball. Obviouslythe ball could be carried bythe arm and the socket 'by the sleeve if so desired.- Such; a construction between the arm` and sleeve`valve as shown in the yaccompanying drawings is employed for illustration purposes only since.

it will be obviously understood that other types of connecting devices may be employed if so desired.

In the `operation of the device the valve- Wise secured to the crankshaft and arranged i to engage a gear 39 fixed or otherwise secured to the valveshaft, said gears being Qonstructed to operate the valveshaft at one-half crankshaft speed, a customary relation employed in four stroke cycle engines. Figure 3 and 6 illustrate two different positions of the wobble crank 180 removed. It will be noted in Figure 3 that one of the ball portions is in advance of the other, thus locating the arm which connects the sleeve valve and the crank in a position disposed angularly with respect to the valveshaft axis, while Figure 6 illustrates how the angular position of the arm with respect to the valveshaft axis is -reversed when the valveshaft hasbeen rotated through an angle of 189. rllhe action of the crank provides an oscillating and reciprocating movement which is imparted to the sleeve valve.

It may be noted by observing Figures 9 and l0 that the ball centers 50 and 5l are located theA same radial distance from the valveshaft axis 40, thus these ball portions 27 may be said to be only offset angularly.

In Figures l1 and 12, the ball portions 27a are offset both angularly and radially with respect to each other. It will be noted that the ball center 52 of one ball portion 27a is offset va less distance from a longitudinal plane through the valveshaft containing the valveshaft axis 40 than the ball center 53 of the other ball portion 27a. This feature vis more clearly illustrated in Figure 12 in which the aforesaid plane is designated by the reference character 54 and a plane 55 at right angles to plane 54 contains the ball centers 52and 53. The ball center 53 lies a greater perpendicular distance from the plane 54` p than the ball center 52 and the ball center 53 therefore lies a greater distance from-the valveshaft axis 40 than the `ball center 52.

In Figures 13 and 14, the ball portions 27?) are only oii'set radially with respect to each other, and are not angularly offset as in construction illustrated in the other figures. It will be noted that the ball center 56 is located a greater distance from the valveshaft axis 40 than the ball center 57 and said ball centers both lie in a plane containing the valveshaft axis.

It will be noted that the provision of spaced ball orbearing portions on a wobble crank, which have axes of generation parallel to the axis of the valveshaft, provides for simple machining, that tends to make the manufacture of a valveshaft of this character a very simple production operation. The

' ball portions and the ball socket portion carvalveshaftA any bindin ried by the connecting means rovide a very eiiicient swivel joint between t e arm and the tendency being eliminated on account o the accuracy with which said parts may be machined. In each of the figures the ball portions are spaced longitudinally of the associated crank of the valveshaft.

Although I have illustrated but one form of my invention and have described in detail but a single application thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims. What I claim as my invention is: 1. A driving mechanism for an engine Psleeve valve including, a shaft driven by the engine and adapted to impart combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to a sleeve valve, said sha-ft having a crank portion provided with a plurality of ball portions havingtheir longitudinal axes disposed parallel tothe axis of said shaft.

2. A driving mechanism for an engine sleeve valve including, a shaft driven by the engine and adapted to impart combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to a sleeve valve, said shaft having a crank portion provided with a plurality of ball portions having their longitudinal axes disposed vparallel to the axis of said shaft, said ball portions having their centers relatively angularly spaced about said shaft axis.

' 3. A driving mechanism for an engiine sleeve valve including, a shaft driven by the engine and adapted to impart combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to a sleeve valve, said shaft having a crank portion provided with a plurality of ball portions havin their longitudinal axes dispo'd parallel to t e axis of said shaft, said ball porciprocating and oscillating movement to a l sleeve valve, said shaft having a crank portion provided with a plurality of ball portions having their longitudinal axes disposed parallel to-the axis ofsaid shaft, said ball portions having their centers relatively angularly spaced about said shaft axis, said ball portions having their centers located at substantially equal distances from said shaft axls.

5. A driving mechanism for an engine sleeve valve including, a shaft driven by the engine and adapted to impart combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to a sleeve valve, said shaft having a crank portion provided with a plurality of ball portions having their longitudinal axes dis osed parallel to the axis of said shaft, sai ball portions having their `centers relatively angularly spaced about said axis, said ball portions having their centers located at different distances from said shaft axis.

6. A wobble crank for imparting reciprocation and oscillation to a sleeve valve, comprising a shaft having an offset crank portion, said` crank portion having a pair of Y spaced ball portions adapted to engage two points of a three point sleeve actuating element, said ball portions having their longispaced bearing portions having their axes disposed parallel to the axis of said shaft, said bearing portions being ,adapted` to actuate two points of a three point sleeve actuating element.

8. A wobble cranked shaft for imparting combined reciprocating and oscillating movement-to a sleeve valve, said wobble crank having a pair of spaced portions having their axes disposed substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft, said portions being adapted to actuate two points of a three polnt sleeve actuating element. n l

9. A wobble cranked shaft for. imparting combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to a sleeve valve, said wobble crank having apair of longitudinally and an larly spaced portions having their axes disposed substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft, said portions being adapted to actuate two points of a three point sleeve actuating element. y

In testimony whereofv I aix my signature. 

